Making Hollywood Great Again

There’s little doubt that the 2016 election was one of the most contentious and divisive political campaigns in the modern era. As Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton appealed to voters around the country, traditionally left-leaning Hollywood did some campaigning of its own. Celebrities took to social media to decry Trump, accusing him of being everything from a bully to a misogynist to a rapist. Celebrity fury increased after Trump was declared the winner of the election, and some Hollywood notables said that they’d stop working altogether so long as Trump remained president.

What’s really outrageous here, though, isn’t that Donald Trump was elected by the people to be the 45th President of the United States. What’s outrageous is that Hollywood, which lives or dies on consumer dollars, is so out of touch with the American public. Celebrities are certainly entitled to their own opinions, but they can hardly expect hardworking Americans to support them when they throw temper tantrums and refuse to at least give the new president a chance. Perhaps a Trump presidency is exactly what’s needed to bring celebrities back down to earth and Make Hollywood Great Again.

Hollywood’s Big Break with the American People

During campaign season, Hollywood threw its wholehearted support behind Hillary Clinton. Ignoring legitimate questions about fraud at the Clinton Foundation and public concern over high-profile donors such as Saudi Arabia, celebrities appeared at Clinton rallies and deified her on social media. Using their status to demean and belittle others, some celebs even made a point of calling anyone who disagreed with Clinton a woman-hating xenophobe.

When Clinton lost the campaign, Hollywood found itself reeling. Deeply out of touch with the tens of millions of Americans who’d voted for Trump, celebrities just couldn’t understand how the famed billionaire and former host of The Apprentice had ascended to the highest office in the nation. Instead of losing graciously, though, these celebrities stormed onto TV, radio and social media to demand that he be removed from office. They spoke up in droves, issuing bold claims that they were ready to move to foreign countries.

As the inauguration approached, dozens of celebrities decided to boycott the celebration. Singers refused to perform and actors said that they wouldn’t attend the Inaugural Balls that they’d turned out for when Barack Obama was elected to office. Artists demanded that Ivanka Trump remove their incredibly expensive works from her home. While some on the left may have been delighted, many average Americans found themselves wondering when and why Hollywood had become so disconnected from the real world.

Making Hollywood Great Again

For many celebrities, demonizing Donald Trump and protesting his administration is the order of the day for the coming four to eight years. Celebrities who have publicly declared that they’re against the new president are hell-bent on making everyone else in America toe their party line, but they fail to realize that their overstated opinions will do nothing but drive business away from Hollywood. The hardworking, blue-collar men and women who voted Trump into office are unlikely to continue investing in an entertainment industry that neither reflects nor respects their opinions.

Some on the left might think this means a death knell for Hollywood, but in reality, it presents an incredible opportunity for celebrities who are in touch with the American public to make the entertainment industry great again. Today’s movies, TV shows, video games and songs are filled with violent, crude, sexually driven imagery that many everyday Americans find to be an incredible turn off. A mass celebrity boycott of Hollywood opens the doors for other talented artists to get back in touch with the American people. It’s an opportunity for a modern-day Hollywood Renaissance.

Movies like American Sniper prove that Hollywood can make films people want to see.

Reconnecting with the American Public

The irony of Hollywood’s boycott of Trump is that many of the things which they accuse him of doing, such as being a misogynist and objectifying women, are the bread-and-butter of entertainment today. Listen to a Kanye West or Jay-Z song, and you’ll hear plenty of crude, sexually offensive statements that Donald Trump would never get away with uttering. Turn on a cable TV show, and you’re likely to be confronted by sex and graphic violence.

In the wake of the election, many Americans have found themselves wondering if they can really stomach this hypocrisy any longer. The very same people who vilify Trump for remarks he made over a decade ago are actively promoting the overt sexualization of girls and women. For Hollywood, reconnecting with the American public means examining the messages it’s sending and determining whether or not they’re really what consumers want to see and hear. It means creating movies and TV shows that celebrate not just left-wing viewpoints but the true diversity of American opinions and traditions.

This is likely to be tough for celebrities who’ve spoken out against the 45th president, but there are also many celebrities who support President Trump. These talented and ambitious actors, musicians, artists, and athletes will no doubt step up to fill the void left behind by their boycott-happy colleagues. They’re exactly the leaders that Hollywood can look to as it fights to remain relevant in a world where it has fallen more and more out of touch with the consumers who drive its success. Recently, in response to all of the backlash against Trump and his supporters, Joy Villa, a brave singer/songwriter showed her support for our President by wearing a dress to the Grammy Awards with the words “Make America Great Again” embroidered down the front. The liberal backlash was instant and cruel while Trump supporters rallied behind her and drove her album sales up.

Recently, in response to all of the backlash against Trump and his supporters, Joy Villa, a brave singer/songwriter showed her support for our President by wearing a dress to the Grammy Awards with the words “Make America Great Again” embroidered down the front. The liberal backlash was instant and cruel while Trump supporters rallied behind her and drove her album sales up.

A Return of Hollywood’s Golden Age?

Spanning the 1930s and ’40s, Hollywood’s Golden Age was characterized by thoughtful, ambitious movies that celebrated both the glamour of the high life and the beauty of everyday, hardworking Americans. It’s time for the left-leaning entertainment establishment to re-examine its roots and return to what made it great: The support of hardworking, everyday Americans who wanted to get lost in entertainment, not the opinions of inflated celebrities. It’s time to Make Hollywood Great Again.